Manky's Pop.

[Manky Monkey]

Thanks guys. I'm really not too worried this time -it'll be done when it's done.
I was chatting to my van buddy at work about it the other day, (the guy who shares my Post Office van with me). I was telling him how stressed out & miserable it'd been making me & that the last thing I feel like doing after a hot & tiring 8 or 9 hour shift lugging Mail around the streets, is to spend another 5 or 6 hours wrestling with the Pop. Sometimes I drive to the workshop on the outskirts of Basingstoke & have to fight the urge to just keep driving. I could go to the coast for the afternoon. Or go for a walk. Or enjoy a leisurely drink in a country pub somewhere. Or go home & stare at the walls. Anything I wanted if I didn't have to fix the damn truck. My buddy pointed out that the only person who really cares if it ever gets done is me. What's the worst that can happen if I take time off? I miss a show somewhere. That's about it really.
So I'm not worrying -but I am rapidly running out of Summer to drive it in!

Mr Kapri- I'll be working till about 2.30 on Saturday, but Mr Loon should be there all day & can give you the ignition keys if you need to be there earlier. An expert opinion would be much appreciated. 

[panthershaun]

What's the worst that can happen if I take time off?

it is meant to be fun mate... can get stressful and make you unhappy but that's the time to go for that walk/pub/beach and I do know what you mean about running out of summer!!!!

[BikerGran]

There's always next summer!  You'll feel much better about it if you don't miss out on everything this summer, even if you don't get there in the Pop - even if you DO just drive past, go home, and veg out!

[Manky Monkey]

  Back at the workshop again.
I arrived after work this afternoon to find Mr Kapri already there, having ridden up from Waterlooville on his rather splendid looking trike. Lookin' good Kev. 
He'd brought his stethoscope along & had a listen to the cylinder heads.

Dr Kev examines the patient.

[Manky Monkey]

I've often tried the old fashioned method of putting a screw driver or socket bar against the engine & pressing it to your ear to listen for knocks or rattles, with limited success. Kev's stethoscope was far clearer though - a great addition to the tool box for a couple of quid on Ebay. We narrowed the horrendous clattering down to the 2nd cylinder from the front, on the right hand bank.
Rocker cover off -no obvious damage.
Rocker assembly off -nope, all O.K
Pushrods out -no problem.
Right, time to take the plunge & take the carb, inlet manaifold & valley gasket off -still nothing obvious. A heavily worn camshaft & followers, but we knew that anyway. The motor's definitely a little "tired", but it's been running fine till now.

[Manky Monkey]

The cam followers or "lifters" are hydraulically self adjusting, consisting of steel cylinders with a spring loaded top face. Oil's pumped in through a small hole in the side & the lifters pump up, to take up the slack below the pushrods, eliminating the need to set tappet clearances. Great -when they work. Our collective best guess was that one wasn't pumping up, creating a gap for the pushrod to bounce up & down in.
Very careful examination seemed to prove us right. One of the lifters was badly worn & had several hairline cracks in the base. Presumably the oil was being pumped in, but escaping & not holding pressure.
Fortunately I bought a 2nd engine for spares last year, so as Dr Kev wisely waved us goodbye & headed for home, I nipped across town to our lock-up garage & pulled a couple of lifters from the spare motor. Meanwhile Chris collected his new valley gasket from home. I didn't have any gasket sealant, so we put everything back together dry. By mid evening we were ready to fire the motor up again. Vrooom ....clack, clack, clack. Bugger.
We left it to idle for a while & gradually the noise eased off. Aha! Presumably it took a little while for the new lifter to fill with oil.
After 5 minutes we had an acceptably quiet engine again -but we've gained a new problem. Now it's pumping clouds of grey smoke out of the exhaust. Poo. So now it's running fine, but filling the yard with smoke. After much discussion, we've decided it's water, rather than oil. Which means either there's a crack in the carb inlet manifold as the engine coolant's circulated through it, or water's getting under the valley gasket & crossing between the inlet ports & waterways. After Mr Loon took it for a quick drive up & down the yard, we shut it off before we damaged the bores.
So. We seem to have fixed the original problem, but created another. I'm out for the day tomorrow, but will return on Monday with a tube of blue Hylomar sealant & will strip it down, seal the gasket & put it back together. Fingers crossed it'll work. Oh & Loon says the speedo works now!

Chris, torqueing the rockers down before we fired it up. He re-posted this photo on FaceBook & got labelled a gay pin-up boy. 

[kapri]

I came up with the idea of the stethoscope when I had to diagnose Antons T which had an unusual noise but it was when it was being driven only . Bought the 'scope and lengthened it with a joiner and gaffer taped it to the engine. Drove up and down the A27 near Chichester as we narrowed down the source of the clatter

You had that smoking trouble way back when we first started the engine 2-3 years ago Andy, I think it just got too hot as I'd have expected th fan to cut in at the temp we had it?

Temporary glitch fingers crossed.

[BikerGran]

My mate Bob brought his stethoscope round to listen to The Rattle my trike's intermittently making - he's reassured me that it doesn't sound like anything in the engine or gearbox so he's probably saved me a fortune getting a workshop to try and diagnose it!

[Manky Monkey]

Think I might buy one, just cos it was interesting to listen to the mechanicals.
I'm a bit concerned that the fan didn't cut in Kev. I'll check the fuses tomorrow. I remember we had to re-seal the valley gasket several times, but can't remember the smoke -I keep telling people I've got a terrible memory, but no-one believes me!

[Baychimp]

your'e only going to buy a stethoscope so you can tell the ladies your a Doctor. (Lay down i will give you a quick examination).

[terry t]

your'e only going to buy a stethoscope so you can tell the ladies your a Doctor. (Lay down i will give you a quick examination).

What in the back, on the pick up Bed 

[kapri]

Think I might buy one, just cos it was interesting to listen to the mechanicals.
I'm a bit concerned that the fan didn't cut in Kev. I'll check the fuses tomorrow. I remember we had to re-seal the valley gasket several times, but can't remember the smoke -I keep telling people I've got a terrible memory, but no-one believes me!

That's a problem for me, I have to remember everything for those with shot memories!

[BikerGran]

I keep telling people I've got a terrible memory, but no-one believes me!

That's just your version of "Nuffin to do wiv me guv, don't know nuffin about it"    

[Manky Monkey]

I just don't know nuffink.
Mr Loon had some other stuff to do today, so wasn't at the 'shop. So no Pop progress to report. A bit of a drama while he was away though. A farm truck managed to collide with one of the cars outside the workshop. Fortunately the guy who comes in every day to feed the horses behind Loon's workshop saw it happen. They're trying to pin the farm guys down to admitting liability now. The car was a Honda Civic, belonging to one of Loon's friends & was parked next to mine. Damaged the A pillar & front wing, as well as ripping the front bumper off. Just praying it didn't bounce off mine cos they were parked pretty close. While I feel for Matt, the owner, I'm just grateful we swapped cars around a few weeks ago cos mine used to be parked where his is.
Back to strip the top end & seal the valley gasket tomorrow afternoon as we're due rain on Wednesday & I'm working outside.

[Manky Monkey]

Inlet manifold back off, copious amounts of sealant applied, everything back together.
Run out of fuel & didn't have any anti freeze/coolant to hand, (thanks for the free 5 litres Archie), so hopefully fire it up again tomorrow & see how she goes. Aiming to MOT it at the end of the week if I can.